The United States is vastly different than it was 40 years ago, especially when it comes to the behavior of young adults. According to the US Census Bureau on Wednesday, Americans aged 18-34 are working less, waiting to have children and delaying marriage.

"In prior generations, young adults were expected to have finished school, found a job, and set up their own household during their 20s — most often with their spouse andwith a child soon to follow," the report said. "Today’s young adults take longer to experience these milestones. What was once ubiquitous during their 20s is now not commonplace until their 30s."

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During the 1970s, 8 of 10 people were married by the age of 30. Today, 8 of 10 people marry by the age of 45.

One reason for the decline? The lack of financial independence among young people. One in three people ages 18-34 still live with their parents and rely on them for monetary assistance as of 2015 - about 24 million people.

The number of young adults living at home has significantly increased during the past decade. In 2005, most young Americans resided in their own homes in 35 of 50 states. By 2015, the number of states where the majority of young people lived independently dropped to six - all Midwest and Plains states.

Twenty-five percent of adults living at home (ages 25 to 34) are unemployed or don't go to school. They're more likely to have at least one child, and more than one-quarter are disabled.

Young men are pulling in less income than they were 40 years ago. In 1975, 1 of 4 young men ages 25-34 earned less than $30,000 annually (in 2015 US dollars). By 2016, the number rose to 41 percent, or 4 of 10 men.

Today's young American women (ages 25 to 34) are abandoning homemaker roles to enter the workforce - from 43 percent in 1975 to just 14 percent today. As of 2010, women comprised 47 percent of the entire US labor force, which is projected to increase to 51 percent by 2018. Seventy-three percent work full-time, while 27 percent work part-time.

Men and women are also delaying having children. Thirty-one percent women in their 20s had given birth in 1975, while only 25 percent of female twenty-somethings had given birth as 2014. Women are also placing value on parenthood over marriage - nearly 40 percent of US births in 2014 were to unmarried women.

The data was collected from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and Current Population Survey.